Every Inch A Flame
by Mishkin
Summary: "I love her, and that's the beginning and end of everything." A collection of short drabbles and one-shots featuring the friendship and love between two wizards who were never given the chance to be soulmates. If things had worked out differently, how different would they be? Harry/Luna.
1. Every Inch A Flame

**~Every Inch A Flame~**

Luna was still awake. Whether she couldn't sleep or simply wouldn't, Harry didn't know. Either way, her restlessness had woken him from his slumber. She was more wiggly than normal, which was how he could tell she wasn't sleeping, and her breathing was more controlled. She wasn't making much noise, but every once-in-a-while she let out a shaky breath and twitched. One of her feet was pressed against his right calf; small and cold against his skin. The slight contact was a comfort to Harry. Growing up he'd never received much physical touch.

After several more lengthy moments of suffering through Luna's insomnia, Harry rolled over to face her. Her back was to him and when he placed a hand on her shoulder she stiffened slightly.

"Luna?" he whispered, his voice hoarse from sleep. She didn't respond at first, so he shifted a little closer.

"I know you're not asleep," he said. She brought a hand up to her face before turning around to face him.

"Can't you sleep, Harry?" she asked. He couldn't make out all the details of her face in the dark, but from the crack in her voice he could tell she'd been crying.

"What's wrong?" Harry sat up and leaned on his hand. He made to turn on the lamp stand light but Luna grabbed his hand and pushed it down with her own.

"I'm okay. There's nothing wrong."

He wasn't convinced. Luna, when she was really trying, could usually fool him with her soft voice and gentle assurances.

Not this time.

"Why are you crying?"

Luna sighed and some of her hair fell on Harry's arm. Without thinking he caught a few strands in his free hand and started playing with them.

"I don't know," Luna said.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Nightmares weren't uncommon for either of them, but Luna's bad dreams were far more violent and vivid than Harry could ever remember his being.

"I didn't. Really, I'm okay," Luna tried to pull out of Harry's space but he scooted to follow her.

"It hurts to see you upset," he said, gauging her response. Her eyes were getting brighter as his own adjusted to the dark. She smiled.

"You can't see me very well," she said. She sounded a bit less weepy but that sad crinkle was still visible around her eyes. In response, Harry leaned in to kiss her nose.

"I don't have to see you to know."

Her nose lightly brushed against his, sending a delightful shiver through Harry's body. Then, she sighed again and pulled away.

"How much do you love me?" she mumbled up at the ceiling.

Harry's brow furrowed, "What?"

"It's nothing. Just something Cherie said."

Cherie was the young couple's next-door-neighbor whom Luna liked, but Harry thought was a tad eccentric. (Not a Luna kind of eccentric, mind you. The mad kind.)

"What did she say?" he asked, feeling more wary. Luna didn't answer immediately. Harry knew he'd already pressed her enough but he hated how curiosity was taking a hold on him.

"Did you have fun with Ginny today?" Luna finally asked. Her voice was lower than usual.

"Ginny?" Harry was confused with her abrupt change of subject. Ginny and Neville had visited them that afternoon for a few hours when they were in the area. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Well…you like spending time with Ginny…" Luna's voice trailed off before she shook her head. "Cherie said you were looking at her with a dreamy expression on your face. I explained that you used to date and she made an odd quip about the way the two of you were flirting with each other."

Harry let out a huff of annoyance. He wasn't at all annoyed with Luna – though she was normally not so jealous – he was more upset with Cherie for planting such a rubbish idea in her sweet head. He draped an arm over his wife's waist and drew her closer to him.

"Luna," he said, holding her close, "I don't have any romantic feelings for Ginny and we were certainly _not_ flirting. I love _you_. I married _you_. I didn't marry Ginny."

Luna nodded, "I know that," she said. Her breath tickled Harry's collar bone.

"I married you because I want to be with you, and I want to be with you because I love you. _I love you, Luna_." He said. Luna smiled against his chest and brought her head up to kiss just beneath his chin. Harry gave her a gentle squeeze and brought his lips to her ear.

"One," he said, and kissed her ear. He moved slightly to the left to kiss her cheek.

"Two." He dusted two more kisses across her cheek and on the side of her nose. "Three…four…"

Luna snuggled closer, "Harry," she sighed. Harry smiled.

"Five," he kissed her forehead.

"Six," her chin.

"Seven," her eyebrow.

"_Harry_!" Luna giggled, "what are you doing?"

Harry moved to her right eye, "I'm counting," he said, and kissed her eye, "Eight."

"But why?" Luna sounded a bit breathless, giving Harry a warm feeling in his stomach. She was so easy to please.

"You wanted to know how much I love you," he said, kissing his way down her nose. "This is how much I love you."

His lips brushed against her collar bone. "Thirteen," he murmured.

Luna giggled again and wrapped her arms around him. "I think perhaps the Nargles have gotten to you, Harry," she said.

"You're right," Harry kissed the hollow of her throat, "because love isn't a number. It just is."

"Yes," Luna said. She brought him up for a proper kiss, "I'll still help you count, anyway."

"It will take us forever," Harry said, returning her kiss.

"Forever," Luna agreed.


	2. All The Subliminal Things

**~All The Subliminal Things~**

Luna.

Her skin.

The slope of her nose.

The corners of her mouth.

The color of her eyes — eyes he could get lost in.

Her lovely hands.

The curve of her hips.

Her hair – loose and wild.

The more Harry looked at Luna, the more he loved her. The more he held her, touched her smelled her, got to know her, the more time he spent. Everything about her — even the parts of her that were confusing and frustrating; the parts that were less than perfect. She was his best friend, his confidant, his curious delight. Her wit and sense of humor and the breathy voice she got when talking about magical creatures. Her open mind and gentle soul; her feisty spirit and the way her nostrils flared when she was truly angry. The more he learned the more he loved, until there was nothing in the whole world besides her.

* * *

Harry.

His dark hair — slightly curled at the tips of his ears.

The red in his cheeks on a winter's day.

The smell of his skin.

The feel of his breath against the side of her face.

His smile.

The warmth of his hands.

The taste of his lips.

Luna couldn't recall a time she didn't love Harry. From the first moment she loved him and all the moments after. It was because he never judged her; never treated her as anything less than a friend. He was kind and full of spirit and stood up for what he believed in. He struggled with anger and fought battles inside of himself she wished she could fight. He was her best friend and her truest love, but more than that he was Harry, and that would always be enough. He had captured her heart and she was his moon and he was her stars.


	3. Sinking In

**~Sinking In~**

They fell in love during Harry's seventh year. After his kiss with Cho. After his fling with Ginny. When Harry felt as if he was losing everyone and everything, Luna was there, and when Luna felt as if her presence no longer mattered in the grand scheme of things, Harry was there. They passed each other in the hallway—just saying 'hello' at first, and then lingering to talk longer. She told him things she'd never told anyone, and Harry told her things he'd only told Hermione and Ron. Once, he sneaked out in his father's cloak and they spent the night among Thestrals and overgrown wildflowers. In the morning he blushed to find himself huddled to her for warmth, but Luna was undisturbed and happily herself. That was his last time of peace at Hogwarts.

* * *

When he was out searching for the Hocrux Harry was thankful to have his best friends at his side like always, but at his lowest moments he found himself craving the presence of a certain, quirky witch. Her bright spirit, her witty comebacks, her love for magical creatures. She always smelled like lilacs and something else—a smell he associated only with her. She smelled like Luna. Harry started smelling her in the trees of a random forest and whenever he sat down to eat; on his clothes in the Ministry of Magic and in his dreams. He starting seeing (or wanting to see) her face in the clouds and imagined it was her hair tickling his skin instead of the wind. Hermione and Ron thought he was still pining after Ginny at first, but the one Harry wanted to see the most was Luna.

* * *

At Xenophilius Lovegood's house, after he told them that Luna had been taken it was as if all the air had been sucked out of Harry's lungs. His relief at seeing her unharmed in that dark basement was the only thing tethering him to reality while Hermione was tortured. She didn't even have to say anything. She held his hand and Ron told them that he loved Hermione and for the first time Harry thought he understood what that meant.

* * *

When Dobby died Luna was there. She closed his eyes and brushed the back of her hand against Harry's cheek.

"Oh, my heart," she said, and hugged him. Even though he couldn't see her sweet face through his tears he could feel her heat and knew that she was also sad. Sad because Dobby was dead and sad because Harry was heartbroken. His pain gave her pain and it was in that moment that Harry first wondered if maybe she cared for him as more than a friend. Because his pain was hers and her pain was his.

* * *

After the death of Voldemort and Harry no longer knew what to do with himself, Luna found him among the rubble of Hogwarts' once longstanding walls.

"There you are, Harry," she said. She smiled and it was a tired smile but still genuine. There was a streak of dirt on her brow and her hair was messier than he'd ever seen it. Her clothes were torn with blood splatter on several places. She was just as bruised and battered as he was and yet she could still think of a reason to smile, and that reason was him.

Harry started to cry. It wasn't as if he could help it. He knew he could let his guard down around Luna. He had been doing that since the very beginning.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. She was shorter than him and her face nestled perfectly into the hollow of his neck. She was shaking a little and he realized that she was crying, too. Together they wept for all that had been lost. The moon was high in the sky when they finally wiped the tears from their eyes and laughed a little over how wet their clothes were and how puffy their eyes felt.

She was the first one to say it, and to this day Harry wishes he had beat her to the punch.

"I love you, Harry Potter."

Not an answer. Not a question. Not even a statement. Luna said the words as fact and she may have been blushing but it wasn't from embarrassment or fear. She felt no shame in loving him, and she did not tell him because she was being brave (though she was the bravest Ravenclaw Harry knew) but because she was Luna, and she wanted him to know.

"I love you, Luna," he said. He held her in his arms and she sighed with contentment and exhaustion. And that was that. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't dramatic, but it was real.

It was love.

3


	4. Fuel To Fire

**~Fuel To Fire~**

"What are you thinking about?" Luna asked him. They were standing at the edge of the river. It was the summer after the battle for Hogwarts and Luna was visiting Harry in London. He had decided not to go back to Hogwarts and took the Ministry's job offer as an Auror.

"I was actually contemplating whether or not I wanted to try crossing the river," he said. "It's cold but I don't think it gets very deep."

Luna cocked her head and leaned closer to the water. Harry grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall in headfirst. She gave him a wry smile and pulled him along with her into the freezing water. Goosebumps rose on her flesh when the water was up to her ankles and he sucked in a quick breath.

"On second thought I'd rather remain on this side," he said.

"Not me. It looks lovely there; just the spot where Nargles would hide!" Her eyes were lit up with curiosity and excitement. She pulled out of his grasp, her arm sliding out of his grip in a way that left his hand buzzing from the warmth of her skin.

_Damn this woman._ He would follow her anywhere.

"Let's not," he said in a last attempt to persuade her. It was too late — she was already too far away from him to care. She had rolled her pants up but they were already near soaking. When she stumbled a bit on the slippery rocks beneath Harry felt his pulse speed up.

"Be careful!"

"Hurry—before they're all gone!" she said over her shoulder, completely unconcerned. Harry cursed again under his breath and started wading over to her. The water really was _frigid_. How was she not reacting to it?

They were nearing the middle when suddenly Luna gasped and pitched forward. Harry was right in that it wasn't that deep (maybe four feet) but he had trouble making his way over to her quickly in the current.

"Luna!" For several terrifying seconds he could not make out her blond hair beneath the water but then she broke the surface sputtering and flailing wildly about.

"Luna!" Harry hoisted her to standing position by the armpits and fought against the current to steady both of them. As soon as his hands were on her Luna fell against his chest and, shivering, said: "This is nice."

Her breath tickled his neck. The water was no longer cold.

It dawned on him: "You did that on purpose!"

"Yes." She didn't even _try_ to deny it! "I missed you terribly."

Instead of annoyance Harry felt a warm glow of endearment in his chest. He had noticed how snuggly she had been with him ever since their confession three months ago. It seemed she hugged him every chance she got - even going as far as making excuses or opportunities such as this one to get his arms around her.

"Harry?" She looked up at him with her beautiful, silver eyes. She brushed a strand of hair that was plastered to the side of his face, "You're—" she swallowed.

"-completely drenched," Harry finished for her. In his desperation he had splashed around enough to soak his hair. It was dripping all over his face and down the back of his neck.

Luna nodded. She was still shivering, still looking at him with those eyes.

And then his lips were on hers.

It wasn't their first kiss or their second, or even their third. Those kisses had been quick and chaste; experimental. This kiss was far from chaste. Her nails dug into his shirt and her head bobbed as he kissed her with such ferocity it was a wonder they were able to remain standing. She tasted of sun and of blueberries and of a heat that spread to the various parts of his body. His hands were on her shoulders, on her waist, on her face, in her hair. The water rushed past them and through them and their bodies were so close he felt dizzy. When they parted for air Luna dusted kisses along his jawline and he pressed his lips against the soft skin of her temple. They kissed again and his heart ached at the intensity of it.

Finally, she drew back and Harry realized she was still shaking. It was partly from passion but mostly because the temperature of the water was starting to take its toll. Together they pushed against the current to shore and squeezed the water out of their shirts. They never did make it to the other side of the river. Instead, they had crossed a different kind of bridge and a few months later made their relationship official by getting engaged.


	5. Doubts That Complicate Your Mind

**~Doubts That Complicate Your Mind~ **

Hermione was the first person Luna told.

The two were not as close as Hermione was with Harry, of course, but after everything they had been through it was easy to look past minor differences and become friends. Luna's talk of Nargles and Wrackspurts (among other creatures) still rattled Hermione to the core, but she found that debating with the other girl about certain topics was…fun. While they didn't always see eye-to-eye or come to an agreement, they did respect each other's views and found their arguments both interesting and stimulating. There was a reason Luna was in Ravenclaw; her easy confidence in debate was proof of that. The blonde was extremely smart and Hermione appreciated that. She took time to research and really thought deeply about the reason she believed in what she did. Hermione had come to the conclusion that she would never personally put any faith in such conspiracies, but actually Luna had a lot of very solid reasoning behind her ideas that she could not refute.

The two women were currently in a booth at a local café waiting for their orders to be brought out. Hermione was wearing her favorite beige pea-coat and had tied her unruly hair back with a red ribbon. Luna sat across from her with her back to the window wearing an odd assortment of pinks, baby blues, and yellows underneath a large, forest-green coat. She had recently cut her hair to her shoulders so it was much curlier than usual with the loss of weight. She refrained from pinning it up despite it being the windiest day of the year on record. It was now wildly strewn about her shoulders and most definitely tangled in several places.

Hermione debated whether or not to point this out to her, but her train of thought had been completely derailed. Luna had just told her – in the calmest and most matter-of-fact manner – that she was pregnant.

"Are you going to tell Harry?" Was all Hermione could manage after the initial process of the information.

"Probably," Luna said.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I meant have you told him. I'll take that as a no, so I'll as a different question instead: _when_ are you going to tell him?"

"Hmmm…" The waitress came by with their drinks and Luna took a sip of her tea. It sounded to Hermione that she hadn't yet considered the prospect of telling Harry the news.

"I'll tell him when the time is right, I suppose," Luna said. "Anyway, what do you think about it?"

"What _I \- _am I supposed to have an opinion about this?" Hermione asked. Never mind Luna's bizarre sense of timing – she needed to tell her husband, not her husband's best friend!

"I would hope so," was Luna's reply, "You have an opinion about everything."

Hermione didn't know whether to feel flattered or embarrassed. Was Luna asking for advice? If so she was going about it in an awfully strange way.

"I didn't know you were trying for a baby," Hermione said slowly.

Luna frowned, "We weren't. I mean, we've talked about it in the past but not recently." She took a sip of her drink and turned her bright eyes to a picture of a cow on the wall.

The staring into space wasn't what rang the alarm bells in Hermione's head, at least not exactly. It was her nervous energy. She could almost feel Luna's barely-contained twitching from across the table.

"How are _you_ feeling about it?" she asked, switching focus. Luna didn't say anything for a bit. She sighed and brought a nervous hand to her face and Hermione noticed that her shoulders had gotten very tense.

"I don't know." Luna's voice was soft when she finally answered. Breathy. Not unlike normal, but there was something off about it.

Hermione's original opinion changed. Not drastically, mind you (the idea of Harry being a father had always been endearing). But where before she may have treaded with caution and asked all sorts of questions about if the couple was ready or not, she now spared no expense at putting her friend at ease. Luna very rarely asked for help and even when she did so it wasn't directly. Hermione took the nervous twittering as a silent cry for help.

"Oh, Luna, I think it's absolutely wonderful!" Hermione reached for the pale, shaking hands across the table. "I couldn't be more excited for you and Harry."

She squeezed Luna's hands and felt a squeeze back. "How far along are you?"

"About eleven weeks," Luna said.

"Eleven!" Hermione exclaimed, "No one could tell to look at you, you're so thin!"

"_I_ can tell." Luna's voice was still uncharacteristically low. "Harry might be upset that I kept it from him for so long."

_That's_ what she was worried about?

"He won't be upset!" Hermione shook her head, "He'll be thrilled! We both know he'll be a great father!"

"He will." Luna smiled and a twinge of pink dotted her cheeks but there was still that anxiousness that Hermione didn't understand. Hermione took a sip of her coffee.

"You'll be a good mum, Luna."

"Oh." The muscle in Luna's face twitched and she drew back her hands. Hermione realized that she was getting closer to the root cause.

"All new parents are a little nervous for the first baby, but you learn it along the way. Nobody is perfect at first."

"No," Luna said, "but what if my…what if the bean ends up being strange? What if they're less like Harry and more like—"

She didn't finish but Hermione was already inwardly slapping herself. _Yes_, Luna was different. _Yes_, she was odd. But that was only bad when her peers made it so. The poor girl had been positively tortured in school and while she never showed it, scars had definitely been left. While it was a little surprising for Luna to be so conscientious, it was natural that the mother in her wanted to spare her child from that kind of pain.

"Of course they'll be strange," Hermione said, "Just like you." She leaned forward for the last bit, _"and just like me." _

"Like you?" the tension had risen from Luna's shoulders and now she sounded close to laughter.

"Yes," Hermione said, _"Because you're just as sane as I am."_


	6. Meet The One Who Makes Your Heart Stop

**~Meet The One Who Makes Your Heart Stop~**

Ron was the first person Harry told.

It was shortly after he'd started his job at the Ministry. He'd been seeing Luna for several weeks at that point (and they were more than friendly meetings). Both Ron and Hermione knew about their relationship—in fact he didn't think there was a single person who didn't know at this point. He and Luna had never hidden their feelings from anyone.

That still didn't stop Ron from being surprised.

"So let me see if I got this straight," Ron said. "You and Luna are in love and you feel like she understands you better than anyone and all that, and…and you've _already_ decided to marry her?"

"You want to marry 'Mione," Harry pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but I've known her forever, mate. You've only known Luna for a couple of years."

It didn't matter. He would marry her anyway. Luna was the kind of person who, once she came into your life, felt like she had been there your whole life. She was comfortable and altogether delightful, and Harry was in love with her. In love with_ everything_ about her. Her wild hair, her brilliant mind, her bare feet.

"I love her, Ron. I love her more than I've ever loved anybody," Harry said, face flushing.

Ron saw the red in his friend's cheeks; could hear the emotion in his voice, and he suddenly thought of Hermione. He knew a long time ago—long before they had started dating, even—that she was the girl he wanted to marry. She was way out of his league and perfect in every way he wasn't, but she was the one. He wouldn't spend his life with any other, and the feeling was mutual. They both just…knew somehow.

"Have you told Luna?" He asked, more gently this time.

Harry turned an even deeper red. "I wasn't going to propose right away…" he mumbled.

"Too soon for that," Ron agreed, "I was talking about if you told her you loved her."

"I have," Harry said, "She knows."

"And?" Ron said.

"She loves me, too," Harry said.

"Well then, I suppose that's all there is to it."

There is something about when two people come together that transcends all definition. Ron wasn't daft—he saw the way Luna looked at Harry and the way Harry looked at Luna. They completed each other. Two halves of the same whole. He was happy for them. He wasn't particularly close to Luna and sure, she could be bloody annoying sometimes (not to mention extremely odd) but he didn't dislike her at all. She was a kind person, and she obviously treasured Harry in a way past girls hadn't.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said. Ron would always be his best friend. They had been through so much together, and after the battle at Hogwarts this was just one more step in their journey. A step they would take together.

After Ginny, Harry had been convinced true love didn't exist. As it turned out he just hadn't discovered it, yet.


End file.
